Notes / Commercial Description:
Why Rye? This assertively flavorful grain is more often associated with whiskey than with ales. Even in that arena, it has largely been eclipsed by corn and barley, the sources of bourbon and scotch. But when we procured some seasoned barrels from our friends at Templeton Rye, we asked ourselves, “Why not?” Why not brew a rich, tawny rye ale, then mellow it in the warmth of charred oak rye whiskey casks? Two kinds of malted rye provide spicy sweetness, giving way to notes of caramelized wood and the citrusy tang of Perle, Magnum, and Saphir hops before easing into a dry, lingering finish.

A: pours a deep amber color. Light tan two finger head. A lot of lacing that holds on through the entire glass

S: Sweet on the nose with caramel up front, and bourbon and apple in the background.

T: Bourbon up from with a slight whiskey burn, but in a good way. On the second sip comes the hops and spices subtlety. Good balance. Don't get as much caramel as on the nose. Finish is sweet, salty, and a bit boozy.

M: Creamy and smooth across the tongue. A bit chewy. Warms the throat as it goes down. Good winter beer!

O: Another excellent offering from boulevard smoke stack series. They continue to impress. I wish I had a few more bottles so I didn't have to wait until next year to enjoy. I love you boulevard!

Appearance- Given with less than a finger's worth of head which had pretty good retention. The head was a slight off-white with hints of tan and light beige. The body is a medium to dark amber which appears as a medium amber in the light. Some sheeting which extends from the rim of the glass.

Nose- Isn't showing much at all at the moment. Some slight sweetness from citrus. A light clay perhaps. After a while, more citrus comes out along with a tiny bit of rye spice. Swirling is pointless; it adds nothing to the sparse picture.

Taste- Starts off pretty mellow, then introduces some citrus but then bam, the rye hits you like an Old-Fashioned right in the eye. I expect this from this type of beer- I did not expect it from BBQ. Nice citrus (mostly orange, some lemon), tons of rye, and huge amounts of spice which challenge the tongue. Some pepper, coriander, and even cinnamon. I don't know if this is exactly my type of beer but I enjoy it nonetheless. It certainly doesn't lack presence with its strong notes of citrus and rye. Some cherry, a slight bit of pineapple. This is very reminiscent of BBQ as it is pretty much the flavor profile of an Old-Fashioned. Some lemon and a good amount of tartness. I like it but I wish there was a little bit more malt presence. The complexity and presence are there but some more malt would give it a little more balance. Good to really good beer. For such sweetness, it is fairly integrated. Pretty much a really good beer even if it isn't exactly what I would want to drink.

Mouthfeel- Between light and medium bodied with ample carbonation which benefits the overall mouthfeel. A little bit of zip really works the slight tartness of the flavor profile.

Drinkability- Fairly accessible if you like Old-Fashioneds or beers with slight tartness. I imagine this would repulse many but this beer is doing exactly what it set out to do. 5 dollars a pint seems incredibly reasonable for this beer. It could be a 6 oz pour easy.

Overall- Good to really good beer. But rather pedestrian for Boulevard. This brewery does such good work that it's really hard to praise a competent beer from them. It's not exactly my cup of tea but it could be amazing for someone else. Must try for those who like rye beers but know that this is very sweet (with notes of cherry, lemon, and orange). Connotes bourbon without any real bourbon flavors. A fun beer but not one I could drink a lot of.

dark apricot color. lots of carbonation. perfect 1/16" layer of topping, level across. absolutely beautiful looking brew....
sticky-sweet malty aroma, with alcohol.... nice thick coat on the sides as the glass tilts.... some fruit in the nose. mesquite....
sweet, barrel and alcohol taste. I can taste the rye and it numbs my tongue. does anyone else get a numbness from rye? some fruit on the palate. dark fruit. head stays on top and level throughout. again, mesquite...
second pour yields a fluffier, fuller head, not as level, but stiff and full.
overall, a very nice brew for 12%. a little different than what I was expecting, but decent.

Pours a deep amber with reddish hints. A bit hazy. 3 finger light tan head dissipates slowly, last 1 finger in particular. Thin layer of creamy foam lasts almost down to the bottom of the glass. Moderate amount of lacing.

Rye whiskey leads the flavor, strong but smooth. Spicy pepper and some fruit flavors. Lemon, green apple, and orange rind. Barrel notes next in the form of oak, and vanilla. Caramel and light molasses for sweetness at the end.

Medium body with medium+ carbonation. Spicy and sharp on the tongue to start going to a mild creaminess at the end. Lingering whiskey. Understated fruitiness.

My favorite from Boulevard. Rich flavors, well blended and complex. Whiskey is prominent without overpowering.

This was my first experience with a boulevard bomber...and I loved it! medium to dark brown in color, unfiltered with a 1 inch foamy khaki head. there is a definite mediumly strong aroma of sweet bourbon and some slight rye. the taste is great! again the sweet bourbonyness takes the forefront, but there is some pleasant rye undertones that are pretty solid, unfortunately the rye flavor subsides after the first few drinks. this beer has a great body and mouthfeel as well, moderately low carbonation. this is a rich sipper for sure but nothing the experienced bourbon/beer/bourbon beer drinker cant take on on his own. great beer and good for the cellar too!

A- Poured from a 750 ml bottle. Light mahogany with some dark ruby red accents shining through. Off-white head of about 1.5 fingers with an aggressive pour. Quite an impressive head with gorgeous lacing for a 12% beer.

S- Sweet caramel is supplemented with an intense at times and subtle at others oak. The whiskey. Booze all over the nose. Lots of damp wood as well.

T- Sweetness, peppery rye spice, charred wood, boozy whiskey all get after it in the initial wave of flavor that comes through. It's an intense battle with my taste buds at stake. Just when it hits a brash, bold peak, it instantly mellows out like a boss as a deep vanilla character takes the lead.

M- Mid to full body with full flavor. Finishes quite dry on the tongue. A sipper that resembles a fine, aged scotch. The warmth (and even the burn in the back of the throat on the way down) is clearly there, but it isn't totally chewing me up and spitting me out.

O- Gets better with each sip. I'm not going to lie, I have increased my ratings on this one twice as I write up this review. Rye-on-Rye...sounds so simple, yet manages to have so much depth and complexity. Should certainly be enjoyed by those that love whiskey, without totally scaring off those that don't.

A - a nice copper/mahogany color with an emanating glow to it (looking down from the top it almost appears golden if the light hits it right), minimal head that doesn't linger long.

S - a bit of barrel smokiness on the nose, lots of caramel and a little vanilla, maybe even a little orange zest.

T - lots of caramel and a little whiskey heat on the front, with some notes of raisins and dates in the middle, finishes with some bitter citrus (orange pith/passionfruit) most likely from the hops, then a nice heat and rye spiciness from the rye barrels lingers after swallowing and gives you that feeling of just having had a sip of whiskey, but with the massive flavor from a delicious beer. Mmmm!

M - mouthfeel is nice, a little syrupy but doesn't coat the teeth (my girlfriend said it coated her teeth so maybe it does for some), decent amount of carbonation and a little more than i like in a beer that has so much complexity going on.

O - An excellent beer overall. The rye finish is really nice and helps break up some of the sweetness from the malt character. The finish is superb with the spiciness from the rye lingering on. Really enjoy this beer.

**I edited this description throughout drinking it as the beer warmed up to room temp and it got much better. So don't necessarily need to refrigerate.**

The 2014 vintage has more barrel char and smokiness in the nose and taste, and a touch of white pepper, relative to my memory of previous Rye-on-Rye offerings. Not much alcohol heat or sweetness, as the high abv may suggest. To me, the 2013 rye-on-rye was the perfect adult candy, with more of the malty sweet and vanilla flavors of barrel aging. 2013 was much sweeter. I'm not sure which flavor profile I like better. This beer is incredible.

Enjoyed on tap at Bier Station on the second day of the 2014 vintage's release, so it's as fresh as possible. I've had previous vintages out of the bottle, but never this close to release. I'm also curious to see how it compares to the bottle of 2013 I'm currently sitting on. Served in a 12 oz Belgian tulip glass.

Appearance - Body is a murky burgundy-brown, with sangria red highlights at the edges where the light passes through. Atop the body sits a one-and-a-half finger head of vanilla white dense, frothy foam. Retention is good, and it leaves traces and spatters of lace intermittently around the glass.

Smell - Light vanilla, oak, caramelized sugar, rye spiciness and hints of black pepper, faint leather-like tannins, and esters from the whiskey.-soaked wood. There is some subtle fruit there as well, like dried figs or dates perhaps, but the sweetness from the wood and grain is more prevalent.

Taste - Toasted rye bread, white pepper, vanilla, toffee and some hints of a deeper sweetness, like molasses. The heat from the alcohol is certainly obvious, but balances well with the sweetness from caramel malts and rye grain. Of course, I'm a huge fan of rye, so the doubling down just makes for a richer, deeper experience of the specialty grain. Some light astringency from the whisky on the finish, but it also lends a touch of smokiness.

Mouthfeel - Body is on the heavy side of medium==nice and chewy--with moderate carbonation and a semisweet finish with a lingering bitterness that is a nice reminder of the sip you just took. Not at all syrupy, but does have a slightly viscous quality to it.

Overall, this is a fantastic and pretty unique offering from Boulevard. Not many people are dabbling in Templeton barrel-aged rye beers. It's hard to compare to my other favorite rye beer, since this one is barrel aged and the other one is far more aggressively hopped, but it's probably safe to say that this one is pretty close to tied for best in style in my mind. I look forward to it's annual release every year.

I found this little gem hidden at my local liquor store. 2010 vintage enjoyed 3 years later on 11/2/2013. Poured into a tulip glass.

A: Pours a beautiful toffee brown color with some slight amber undertones. A 1/3-inch head with big bubbles is apparent upon pouring but disappates quickly. Lacing is excellent. The beer looks free of sediment, but you can't see through to the other side of the glass due to its dark color.

S: Caramel booziness is foremost on the nose of this aged beer. Toffee notes. Slight hint of rye in the background, but it definitely doesn't hit you in the face. The smell is overall underwhelming.

T: Wow - the rye notes are very apparent on the tongue. The pepper spice associated with rye also hits with a punch. In the background, the caramel/toffee malt is nice and smooth. I also get a hint of cherry in the back. The beer is hoppier than the smell would indicate. Booziness, while apparent, is well-hidden....probably due in-part to its age.

M: Probably the driest beer I've tasted this year. Extremely dry - almost evaporates on the tongue altogether. I wish the beer had a bit more body and lingered on the tongue a bit longer.

O: This is a very balanced beer. Of course the rye notes dominate the taste, but they are mellowed out nicely by caramel malt base with a healthy dose of hops. The alcohol content, while apparent, is well-hidden. It's a great sipper while curling up with a movie on Saturday night. That being said, there's nothing that stands out to me as remarkable about the beer. It's a great, inoffensive big beer.

T: 19/20 - on the anterior tongue, it's as expected from the complexity of the aroma...rich rye malt and barrel complexity - lots of vanilla, caramel, toffee and stone fruit; in the middle of the mouth, the flavors continue to develop and linger; the alcohol is barely detectable and I was extremely surprised to learn that this beer is 12% ABV (initially thought that it was more in the 6-10% range)

O: 9/10 - I had Founders Backwoods Bastard not that long ago, and, even though sylistically (malt bill, yeast and barrel-aged) they are very different, I cannot help but comparer these two beers; although I like both beers, I enjoy this one much more for the following reasons: barrel notes are not as overpowering, booze is not as intense and apparent and the rye dries it out leaving little aftertaste and clamoring for another sip; this beer is mighty impressive, and, for $9.79 at Franklin's in Hyattsville, MD, it's probably the best beer oz.-for-oz., $-4-$ that I've purchased in the DMV

A: Pours a slightly cloudy tawny red color with a fingers worth of cola colored head that quickly fades down to a thin cap

S: Very malty. Lots of spicy rye (from both malt and barrel) with a little bit of an alcohol and smokey phenol kick. Some fruitiness from the phenols as well. Aside from just the rye whiskey imparted by the barrels, there is some oak and woodiness in there

T: Starts off with quite a bit of wood, oak, and rye whiskey from the barrels as well as some spicy rye malts. Goes into a light phenolic smokiness to go along with the oak and woody character from the barrels. Some alcohol kick, but doesn't seem like 12%. Finishes with some earthiness/wood from the barrels

M: Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Surprisingly on the thicker side for a BA beer

O: Extremely complex rye beer with lots of layers and flavors to pick out. A nice sipper for colder nights. Even though the 12% is well hidden, you can still tell that it's a big beer. Good value for the quality

750 corked and caged bottle into a teku glass. april 2013 bottling date.

Pours a dark copper, almost reddish color with an extremely bubbly inch thick head. The smell is real apparent and big - bourbon hit me as i was pouring it. A lot of sweet caramel aroma notes as well. The taste is really a treat. Starts off with sweet toffee notes that slowly make way from bourbon, but not overwhelming the prior flavors, and it ends with an explosion of wood/bourbon/fruit/oak/rye with a great warming. Full bodied for sure, with quite high carbonation. Creamy and smooth. Lovely, almost a dessert beer.

Overall an amazing beer from Boulevard. Huge recommendation for any BBA fans.

A: A rich clear hue of whisky suggestive of the flavour waiting within. Topped with a pale tan head and poured just a scant finger worth.

S: A warm oaky smell similar to the inside of a cigar box, sweet maltiness lead the way with a solid rye whisky scent and spicy notes. Some alcohol esters towards the back end that compliment the warm woody and grainy scent.

T: Opens with a full on rye whisky flavour, sweet pale malts, spicy, woody, grainy, slightly smokey and warming through with alcohol esters that compliment the flavours. Hops show through at the front and compliment the rye and grains.

M: Carbonation is low while the alcohol esters warm the mouth livening the flavours. Medium to heavy body that clings pleasantly.

O: Incredibly delicious and offers the rye whisky flavour and smoky wood that's soul satifying and comforting. Incredibly bold flavours that are perfect on every front. I'm not even a whisky lover, but this might change my mind.

Pours a whsikey colored caramel brown with copper hues beneath the eruption of cream-tan head which leaves scattered lacing and a constant ring atop the beer.

So much going on in the nose including notes of caramel malty sweetness, rye, oak, yeast and then an entire second layer of all of it.

The flavor starts off with generous spicy rye with caramel malt and as it warms the whiskey oak really kicks in and it gets a touch spicier. I cannot express enough the depth of character in this beer and all that it offers the senses.

Tis brew offers an enormous body, not necessarily thick but certainly coating to the palate with generous carbonation and a biting, boozy finish.

What a beer! Just plain awesome and so much character to entertain the senses.

Bottle: Poured a deep copper color ale with a rather large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of spicy rye notes with some rye whiskey notes and some light grainy notes. Taste is a very drinkable mix of spicy rye malt with some dry rye whiskey notes that are well-balanced and rounded with a dry finish. Body is about average with good carbonation and surprisingly not apparent presence of alcohol. I still can believe how easy this one is to drink, well-balanced while retaining a good level of complexity.

Thanks to Mike for this one! Truly a most generous BA. Rye-on-rye is a bloody copper color with a fifty-fifty division of cloudiness and clarity. Kind of surprised to see barely any head form, even with a pretty aggressive, nearly straight-down pour. A thin, thin beige collar slowly assembles itself and disperses to the outer edges of the beer, where it meets the glass.

The aroma is plumped up with a good amount of dry rye and a touch of wet oak; even lighter inclusions of whiskey lie somewhere in the background. There's a river of malty, caramel sweetness flowing through that is kept tame by the spicy rye notes. I'm picking up some dense, almost tart apple skin and plum skin notes. Nice, overall, but there's just a touch of cardboard-y oxidation that seems like has taken place.

There's a lot more of that dry and spicy rye with the first sip than the first sniff, with a big whiskey and grain flavor up front. Smooth caramel and toffee malts with a little bit of sticky sweetness - as I mentioned before, the spicy and dry balances the sticky and sweet. A touch of plum shows up again, sans the apples (which is probably a good thing), to add just a slight twinge of borderline tart fruitiness.

The aftertaste is highly reminiscent of rye (or possibly pumpernickel in a lesser sense) bread. The malts tame themselves and the sweetness is alleviated by this time, and you're left with a bready, dry, and rye-filled flavor that coats your palate. Just a slight touch of oxidation has been confirmed with a bit of wet cardboard, giving the beer a slightly "old" flavor. Unfortunate, since the beer is only about a year old. Medium mouth feel; slick, dry, and heavy with low carbonation.

Despite the premature oxidation that has taken place, the beer was still pretty nice and quite drinkable for what it was. I'd really like to have another go at it, with a fresh bottle, as I'm sure it stands the chance to be even better. I'm not the biggest fan of rye beers, but this one was executed nicely, especially if you're a fan of whiskey and dryness.

This beer pours a wonderful ruddy brown head that foams and foams, excellent head retention from my bottle. Wow you can smell the bourbon nose right off the bat, raisins, prunes, rye spiciness, clove, faint oak. The flavor is much the same with a forward rye spice followed by boozy bourbon notes and dried fruit sweetness, faint smokiness and a lingering oak finish. Only beef w this beer was the cloying thickness of it, but overall a very interesting and complex beer that tastes similar to an old ale with a healthy amount of rye thrown into the mix witch makes this a beer worthy of seeking out.

2012 edition. Imagine "Blonde on Blonde", only with brunettes...mmm... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear garnet topped by a finger of cream foam. The nose comprises prime whiskey, rich caramel, sweet biscuit, mild oak, vanilla bean, a touch of buttercream, light candied orange peel, and a bit of vague spicy flashes in the back. The taste brings in more of the same, the barrel and the malty sweetness interpenetrating each other beautifully on my tongue. From beneath bubbles an undertow of clove- and brown sugar-heavy spicy notes that compliment the proceedings quite well. The body is a stolid medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a nigh-silky feel. Overall, a damn fine beer, one of the better melds of base and barrel I've yet encountered.

1600th review! Got in a trade with Cyde. 750 ml bottle into snifter; 2013 vintage bottled 3/2013. Pours moderately cloudy ruby red color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, raisin, orange zest, brown sugar, spicy rye, bourbon, vanilla, oak, toast, clove, floral, brown bread, and light spicy alcohol. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of malt and barrel notes; with good strength. Taste of big caramel, raisin, brown sugar, orange zest, toast, toffee, rye, bourbon, oak, vanilla, clove, brown bread, floral, and toasted earthiness. Lingering notes of caramel, raisin, brown sugar, toast, toffee, bourbon, oak, clove, vanilla, and toasted earthiness one the finish for a while. Fantastic balance and complexity of dark malts with a near perfect balance of barrel flavors; and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a creamy and slick mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged strong ale! Fantastic balance and complexity of malt and barrel flavors; and very smooth to sip on for 12%. A highly enjoyable offering.

T - Exactly as it smells! all oaky vanilla sweet bourbon up front, followed by citrus and spiced rye with sweet caramel, oaky vanilla big boubon flavors again again at the finish. Malty sweet aftertaste

beautiful deep apricot in color
thick head dies to thin layer, spotty lacing
barrel is there in the nose, not too strong. malty, rye, yum
mmm-mmm, two flavors that really compliment each other, bit of a bite in the finish, but pleasant. for its abv, not too boozy, just a bit
feels nicely thick, smooth, goes down deceptively easy

been holding on to this for a while, glad i finally got to pop it open. recommended!